It began in a basement, with one mom's effort to make a pair of shoes that would stay on her toddler's chubby feet.
Then, as children do, it grew, snowballing from a home-based business that spent its first five years in founder Sandra Wilson's basement into an international retail business that now sees Robeez Footwear Ltd. shoes and booties sold in boutiques around the world and generates sales of over $15-million a year.
And yesterday, in the same week that the toddler who inspired her business started high school, Ms. Wilson, 46, announced the sale of her firm to a major U.S. retailer, Stride Rite Corp., for $30.5-million.
"So it feels like I'm letting go of both my babies on the same day," Ms. Wilson said.
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Ms. Wilson founded Robeez in 1994 when her son was just 18 months old and she was a laid-off airline worker. Frustrated by shoes that wouldn't stay on her child's feet, she designed her own, cutting up an old purse for material.
She tinkered with the design and took 20 pairs to a Vancouver gift show, where she got orders from more than a dozen retailers.
Since then, the company has picked up speed like a toddler running downhill, consistently making appearances on "fastest-growing" corporate lists and selling its wares through retailers such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's. Privately held, the company says its sales now top $15-million a year in about 30 countries.
Along the way, Robeez became known as a female-friendly and family-friendly workplace; about half of the company's management team consists of women and more than 80 per cent of its sales associates are women, many of them mothers who work part-time.
Over the past year, Ms. Wilson has been preparing for a transition, hiring new managers and contemplating a sale or partnership.
"We recognized that if we wanted to execute the plans and achieve the vision for where we could take this company we needed to look for a partner to help us, someone with the financial backing and expertise to help us continue to build Robeez," she said.
Under the deal with Stride Rite, Ms. Wilson is to remain a consultant.
The company currently does all of its manufacturing in Burnaby, where about 400 employees work diligently to turn out the colourful shoes.
David Chamberlain, Stride Rite's chairman and chief executive officer, said it's expected manufacturing will remain in Burnaby, at least for the short term.
Integration teams from both companies will look at all aspects of the business before making any changes to that setup, he said. The Burnaby manufacturing centre has advantages in terms of being close to the U.S. market and offering quick turnaround for retailers, Ms. Wilson said.
Children's footwear now accounts for about 40 per cent of Stride Rite's sales, Mr. Chamberlain said, and the American company believes the Robeez brand has room to grow in the U.S. and in Europe.
And although Robeez shoes are vulnerable to knock-offs, Mr. Chamberlain believes the company has the benefit of loyal customers, an established brand name and momentum.
"As long as the product continues to be innovative and fresh and maintain the high level of quality it has, it will retain its dominance in the category," he said.
Momentum can account for a lot in the retail sector, he added, pointing to this year's wildfire growth of Crocs, the plastic, holey shoes that are propelling their Colorado-based maker Crocs Inc. to record growth.
Industry trade shows this autumn are bound to be overflowing with knockoffs, Mr. Chamberlain said.
"You will see 20 people selling Croc look-alikes, and yet Crocs is growing like a house on fire," he said.
"Because they have the name and the momentum, they continue to dominate that niche."
One step at a time
The early days
Sandra Wilson hand-stitched 20 pairs of shoes and took them to a Vancouver craft show in 1994. The shoes sold out. Ms. Wilson's basement was to remain the factory until 1999.
The buzz
Demand for Robeez Footwear -- named for her son Robert -- grew slowly, through word of mouth, referrals and endorsements from pediatricians. Within five years, sales hit $250,000.
The growth
Robeez employs about 400 people and says it sells shoes in more than 4,500 shops around the world. Its sales exceed $15-million.
